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Orphan pups

The status of wolf in Russia

The history of the wolf is closely linked to the political and social life in ex-USSR. Although this region has a high wolf population, it is estimated that the soviet government financed the elimination of more than 1.5 million wolves between 1925 and 1992. A bounty was given for each wolf killed. This system offered a supplement to those who could hunt: a single adult wolf could bring an extra month’s pay!

Wild-caught and captive-bred

Every spring, in May-June, we receive one or several litters of orphan wolf pups. They come from zoos that cannot keep the pups through lack of space, or from hunters who took the pups out of their den. Depending on their age and their level of contact with humans, the wolves display different types of behaviour, from completely tame to different levels of shyness to completely wild. Since the program of rehabilitation was created in 1993, different methods of rearing have been used, depending on the behaviour displayed by pups: in an enclosure; free in the forest; with foster parents. Year after year, we acquired experience and know-how necessary to rear and successfully rehabilitate any wolf pup sheltered in the Program. We thus created four wolf facilities gathered in two villages: Puplovo and Belkovo.